March 14 – Former politician Bernd Neuendorf was sworn in on Friday as the new president of the embattled German Football Association in what the entire hierarchy will hope is a new beginning after years of off-the-field scandal.
The 60-year-old succeeds Fritz Keller, who resigned in May 2021 after comparing his deputy Rainer Koch to a notorious Nazi-era judge.
Neuendorf was voted in by a clear majority – 193-50 – and called for unity after years of turbulence that have rocked the German FA.
“We have to keep the shop together,” he said. “Anyone who doesn’t go along with the cultural change will have me as a staunch opponent.”
Football must again be the focus of attention, he added, “not the quarrels at the top of the association.”
Keller was the latest of four presidents to leave office amid scandal in recent years. His predecessor, Reinhard Grindel, resigned after accepting a luxury watch amid allegations of undeclared earnings and discontent with his leadership.
After German international Mesut Ozil retired from international duty in 2018, he singled out Grindel for allegedly overseeing a culture of institutional racism.
Former federation presidents Wolfgang Niersbach and Theo Zwanziger were both forced out amid allegations of corruption relating to Germany’s 2006 World Cup bid.
Koch, who had served as the interim leader over recent months, was voted out as vice president on Friday, losing out to Silke Sinning.
Neuendorf has his work cut out repairing the image of Germany’s largest sports body which has over seven million members.
After starting his career in journalism, he switched to politics in 2003 and for many years was a spokesperson for Germany’s Social Democratic Party.
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